BREAKING: President Trump Bans Wole Soyinka from the U.S.; Nobel Laureate Confirms

By Emmanuel Kwada

Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has confirmed that the United States government has permanently revoked his American visa, a decision he attributes directly to his decades-long criticism of President Donald Trump.

The 91-year-old literary icon made the revelation on Tuesday during a media briefing titled “Unending Saga: Idi Amin in Whiteface!” at Freedom Park in Lagos. Speaking before a packed room of journalists, Soyinka read aloud a formal letter from the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, dated October 23, 2025, notifying him of the revocation.

“Dear Mr. Soyinka,” the letter began, “this letter serves as official notification that the non-immigrant visa listed below has been revoked… Additional information became available after the visa below was issued. This revocation refers only to the visa listed below.”

The visa in question—a B1/B2 non-immigrant classification issued on April 2, 2024—had allowed Soyinka entry for business, tourism, or medical purposes. No specific reason was provided for the revocation, which was executed under U.S. Department of State Regulations 22 CFR 41.122.

Soyinka, who now resides permanently in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said the move was “unexpected, but not surprising.” He pointed to his vocal opposition to Trump’s policies, including his symbolic destruction of his U.S. Green Card in November 2016—days after Trump’s first election win—as evidence of a pattern of retaliation.

“I tore up my Green Card in protest against what I saw as a dangerous rise in intolerance and divisive politics,” Soyinka recalled. “This action today feels like the continuation of that same intolerance.”

Despite the ban, the playwright and activist insisted he harbors no ill will toward the American people.

“There are no hard feelings,” he said firmly. “I will continue to welcome any American to my home in Abeokuta if they have anything legitimate to do with me.”

Soyinka doubled down on his commitment to free expression, declaring himself a “global citizen” unbound by borders or political reprisals.

“I will continue to speak against racism and what I consider wrong with the policies of governments—including that of Donald Trump,” he stated. “My criticism has always been of systems and policies, never of individuals as human beings.”

The announcement has triggered immediate backlash across Nigeria and the international literary community, with many viewing the visa revocation as a direct assault on intellectual freedom and dissent.